Shiny Brown Turd May Be Too Shiny, Turdy For Consumers

The Zune Deathpool has begun! Yesterday, Wired News noted that the device’s wireless-sharing feature (in which users can share songs for three days or three listens, whichever comes first) is applied to all songs–even the ones that artists distribute for free. As Lawrence Lessig would say, “Totally uncool, brahmigo.”

And today’s Wall Street Journal looks at the Zune’s zlow sales:

The 30-gigabyte Zune player from Microsoft, which retails for $249, was on the Top 10 list of Amazon, the largest Internet retailer, for several days after its release on Nov. 14 before dropping off. But yesterday, the most popular model of the Zune, the black version, was at No. 76. The Top 10 digital media players included six iPods from top-seller Apple Computer Inc. and one MP3 player from SanDisk Corp. The 30-gigabyte iPod has a $249 list price and ranked No. 2 at one point yesterday.

“The product [Zune] wasn’t particularly attractive. At the end of the day, you put it on a shelf and it just didn’t compare,” said Rob Enderle of research firm Enderle Group.

A Microsoft representative notes that first-week Zune sales were on track with the company’s expectations, and that holiday-weekend figures were still pending. Unfortunately, her statement can only be read for three days or three times, whichever comes first.

Zune, Creative Commons Don’t Mix [Wired News] Microsoft’s Zune Falls Off Sales Pace For Media Players [LA Times]